Study of Corrosion and Mechanical Resistance of Structural Pipe Steels of Long-Term Operation in Hydrogen Sulfur Containing Environments

Abstract

Analysis of literature sources, as well as practical data indicate that the existing scientific, technical and technological developments to ensure reliable corrosion-mechanical resistance and durability of oil and gas pipelines and other shell metal structures of critical use and subordinate to the State Service for Mining Supervision and Industrial Safety of Ukraine largely find contradictions and uncertainty; there are no quantitatively substantiated recommendations for practical application in order to ensure corrosion and mechanical resistance of pipelines operating in technologically aggressive environments under alternating temperature and barometric conditions and loads; there is a need for a systematic study of the causes, conditions and mechanisms of corrosion and mechanical damage of long-term equipment, which will significantly increase the operational reliability of industrial equipment. Experimental studies have established the causes and substantiated the mechanisms of metal softening with increasing service life (from 0 to 25 years) that leads to its degradation, especially during long-term operation in corrosive environments. A method for forecasting the residual working (accident-free) life of pipeline metal structures has been developed, which makes it possible to purposefully regulate their operational condition. This allows the timely use of technical, design and technological measures to improve the performance of such structures. Numerous and diverse results of experimental tests of metal samples for various purposes have been obtained, which provide an opportunity to create a base for comparative analysis of steels in many parameters of crack resistance, which will become a reliable basis for scientific and practical substantiation of the equivalent replacement of some steel grades with other grades, taking into account technological loads, corrosive environments and others.